By Miguel Rapetti
09 Oct 2024, 00:36 AM EDT
Dmitry Bivol is one of the most relevant boxers in recent years, being able to give Canelo Álvarez one of his two defeats in his career, so it was not surprising that more than one was interested in knowing who his rival was. He has hit him the hardest in a ring.
During an interview with talkSPORT, the podcast panelists took the opportunity to clear up the doubt and it was surprising that Bivol answered several names, but Canelo Álvarez did not appear among them, even though it seemed that in the May 2022 fight it seemed that he had received a good number of punches. and blows to his left side.
For this reason, in his opinion the two rivals who have hit the world champion of the World Boxing Association (WBA) at 175 pounds the hardest have been Jean Pascal and Joe Smith.
As for the first, the Canadian Pascal, placed him at the top due to the strength and speed he combines. Despite this, he was able to beat him in 2018 for what was his 15th victory of his career.
“One of the hardest and most dangerous punchers is Jean Pascal because his blow is fast, sharp and heavy,” he said about it.
He then praised Smith, whom he surpassed months later in 2019.
“Another boxer who hits hard is Joe Smith. There were some training partners in Russia who also hit hard, but I would say Pascal”, he reiterated as the toughest rival he has faced.
Additionally, Bivol spoke about what will be his next challenge in the ring in this Saturday’s fight against Artur Beterbiev and also about the long-awaited rematch that the world wants against the Mexican fighter.
“We don’t have a rematch clause (with Beterbiev)… I don’t know about Canelo, we haven’t talked to anyone about this fight. “No one has contacted us to discuss this,” he concluded.
Keep reading:
- Dmitry Bivol launches a new dart against Canelo Álvarez
- Mauricio Sulaimán wants Canelo to have his revenge against Bivol
- Artur Beterbiev on Benavídez: “I can’t say if he is stronger than Bivol”